En un regard
Le château en bref
Dominating its moat in the south of the Indre, the Château de Lys-Saint-Georges is a fine example of a Berry fortress converted into a seigneurial residence. Built between the 14th and 16th centuries on the remains of an earlier stronghold, it still retains a 13th-century tower, a witness to its original state. The ensemble is striking for its well-preserved defensive character: an oval-plan keep, a guardhouse, a drawbridge dating from the 18th century, and ten of the eleven towers that once encircled the site.
Its history intersects with several great figures. Briefly held by the English during the Hundred Years' War, it then passed into the possession of Jacques Cœur, Charles VII's argentier, to whom the residence overlooking the moat is attributed. It later passed to Gilbert Bertrand, governor of Berry and a close associate of Louis XII, who hosted Ludovic Sforza, the deposed Duke of Milan and patron of Leonardo da Vinci, there.
Today, the load-bearing wall of the main residence suffers from structural weaknesses: a conservation campaign, supported by a subscription from the Fondation du patrimoine, has been under way since 2021 to consolidate the building.
